On the 19th of June, Federation scouts detected the presence of a massive UN battle fleet crossing the Atlantic, departing from Senegal. From its heading and from the large transport train behind it, it was quickly surmised that this was an invasion fleet intended to target the United States.

At this point in the war the United States' mobilisation had entered its fifth week and progress was behind schedule. Ground forces numbered 1.2 million, for example, yet of those only 86,000 had working weapons. Even then, the US would only be able to maintain those 86,000 soldiers for about a month of pure fighting before their supplies ran dry. Air Forces were no better, with a grand total of 11% of all available air forces capable of offering combat. The United States needed more time to finish importing factories, smelters and power plants from China and France. As it stood, its ability to offer resistance to an invasion force- one that was estimated to number at least 250,000- was practically zero.

The only branch of the US military that was functioning halfway decently was the Navy. Unfortunately, three quarters of its naval forces were on the west coast, and the Panama Canal had long since been fortified with a Tasmania-class super-fortress, rendering the passage impassible. The only forces the US had on hand to intercept the invasion fleet was the flagship of the US Navy, the Evangelion Carrier USS Enterprise and its battlegroup, consisting of one battleship, two cruisers and six destroyers. Although the battle seemed hopeless, Enterprise was ordered to intercept.

On the 20th of June, the Grand Admiral of the Federation Navy, Misato Katsuragi, arrived on Enterprise to announce that she would be leading the defense personally and that reinforcements were on their way. She announced that Evangelions and Superheavies would be posted to Enterprise, greatly improving its chances of victory. That said, there simply wasn't time to wait for all of the reinforcements to arrive. On the 22nd of June, Katsuragi ordered Enterprise to sortie out of Norfolk. They encountered the UN Atlantic Task Force on the 23rd.

The UN Atlantic Task Force was extremely powerful, and most of its crew had been drawn from the navies of various Atlantic nations, especially coastal African ones. The Dead Zone around Antarctica made the southern Atlantic an extremely treacherous sea, and such crews were prized for their peerless seamanship. Furthermore, the fleet was commanded by High Admiral Magistrate Johnathan Mgcuka, a skilled naval tactician. His forces quickly located Enterprise. Mgcuka thus engaged his favoured strategic maneuver: the crab.

The Crab involved dividing one's forces into four sections. The two front sections, known as the Left and Right Screen, were made up of cruisers, destroyers and submarines, all designed for swiftness. These would sail past the enemy fleet, turn around and attack them from behind and the sides whilst simultaneously cutting off their retreat. The third section was known as the Core Fleet, which consisted of the fleet's capital ships. These ships, capable of long range bombardment, would cruise slowly toward their prey, shelling them from range. By the time the Core Fleet was in main weapons range of the enemy, the enemy would be so brutalized that they'd perish instantly beneath the turrets of the Core Fleet's battleships. The fourth section was a strategic reserve consisting of cruisers, designed to fan out and protect the Core Fleet from strategic flanking, whilst also moving to reinforce should the Core Fleet begin to falter.

The danger of the Crab lay in the fact that faced with a superior force, most commanders would either retreat (and be caught in the crab's Screens) or hold their ground (and be encircled). Misato knew this. And thus she knew, considering how valuable Enterprise was, that she only had one hope of winning.

That hope was a full berserker charge right down the gullet of the UN Task Force.

As Misato explained to her staff (after they'd stopped screaming), the Sargasso and Caribbean Seas were lousy with hot, chaotic storms, which would slow the Task Force down and delay its rearguard. Since charging the Core Fleet would be insane, Mgcuka would expect Misato to retreat, and position his screens accordingly. If Misato charged, however, the screens would overshoot right past, and would be forced to play catchup, circling around to attack Misato from behind. Misato's hope would be that by then, she would've crippled the Core Fleet or killed Mgcuka himself, forcing the UN Fleet into disarray. With that done she could circle around and destroy the UN fleet components one at a time.

It was a daring plan. An insane plan. Misato was outgunned and outflanked, and chances are she'd run right into a Dysangelion. But she had to take the chance. A victory here would not only secure the United States, but would also deliver such a thrashing to the UN Atlantic Fleet as to project Federation dominance of the waves all the way to Nigeria.

And so the United States waited with baited breath, praying for a miracle. Its greatest strength- its great geographical distance from its foes- now seemed like its greatest weakness, its allies thousands of miles away. For now, and not for the first time in history, the only thing standing between the United States and its enemies is a warship named Enterprise.

Turning Points

Turning Points
Protect the USS Enterprise.
Protect Allied Forces.
Hunt the Casablanca.
Hunt the Saint Helena.
Hunt the Morocco.

Local Allies

USS Enterprise Battlegroup

Leader: Misato Katsuragi

	USS Enterprise		USS New York		USS Leyte Gulf		USS Normandy		1st US Destroyer Group
Type	Evangelion Carrier	Type	Battleship	Type	Cruiser	Type	Cruiser	Type	Destroyer Flotilla
Mag	100/100	Mag	100/100	Mag	100/100	Mag	100/100	Mag	100/100
Arm 1	Positron Turrets	Arm 1	Positron Turrets	Arm 1	Anti-Air Missiles	Arm 1	Anti-Air Missiles	Arm 1	ASW Missile
Arm 2	Maser Swatters	Arm 2	Maser Swatters	Arm 2	Maser Swatters	Arm 2	Maser Swatters	Arm 2	Mascannons
Arm 3	-	Arm 3	-	Arm 3	-	Arm 3	-	Arm 3	Maser Swatter
Spec 1	Engineer	Spec 1	Spotter	Spec 1	Spotter	Spec 1	Spotter	Spec 1	Spotter
Spec 2	-	Spec 2	Main Guns (Positron Impact Cannons)	Spec 2	Main Guns (LRM Battery)	Spec 2	Main Guns (Positron Turrets)	Spec 2	-

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USS Enterprise Carrier Air Wing

Leader: Maksym Pavlichenko

	1st Interception Group		1st Naval Hunter Group
Type	Fighter Craft	Type	Fighter Craft
Mag	100/100	Mag	100/100
Arm 1	Maser Repeaters	Arm 1	P-Heavy Bolters
Arm 2	Anti-Air Missiles	Arm 2	Anti-Armor Missiles
Spec 1	Pathfinder	Spec 1	W-Spec (Bolt Shells)

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Valid Resources

All valid Evas and ODs may be deployed. Misato Katsuragi must be deployed as Supreme Commander.

Valid Superheavy Squads are as follows. One Superheavy Squad may be deployed with the Enterprise. The other arrives as reinforcements.
Eagle Squadron
Fox Squadron
Wolf Squadron

Valid Horde Armies are as follows. All deployed Horde Armies arrive as reinforcements.
RAF Air Command
HMS Invincible Battlegroup

Allocation

Supreme Commander

The Supreme Commander is Misato Katsuragi.

Special Circumstances

Allied Reinforcements: Any Horde Armies deployed during this battle are deployed as reinforcements. At the start of Round 2, your Supreme Commander tests Command or Tactics with a -50 penalty. On a success, one of their forces arrives on the battlefield. On a failure, no forces arrive. At the start of every subsequent turn, the Supreme Commander continues to take this test, reducing the penalty by 10 every time.

Cannon Fodder: Any UN losses from the Right Screen or Left Screen do not incur any morale damage to the UN. However, any losses from the Core Fleet incur an extra 1 Morale Damage.

Charge!: For the first turn only, all UEF hordes possess double MP.

Enemy Reinforcements: The enemy has extra units on the way. We estimate that they will start arriving on the battlefield by turn 5-7.

Limited Data: Circumstances mean that the map is shrouded in fog of war. Units may only see a number of KM equal to their Perception Bonus, but have shared vision.

Powerful Enemy: There is a chance of this battle having a particularly powerful foe appear, such as a Dysangelion, Divine Evangelion or an enemy Battleship.

Victory and Defeat Effects

Victory

Victory here will add the USS Enterprise Battlegroup to your Resource Pool.
Victory here will enable the Management of the US Occupation.
Victory here will enable the Securing Asgard P-Scale Mission next turn.

Defeat

Defeat here will trigger the 'Invasion of the Eastern United States' Mission in Turn 5.
Defeat here will trigger the 'Poor Morale' (-2 starting morale) for a random mission next turn.
Defeat here will trigger the 'Minerva's Final Trump Card' P-Scale Mission in Turn 5.

Advice

Advisor	Advice
	"Lots of open ocean with the Caribbean mountains providing for a certain level of defense from attacks from the south. The Sargasso Sea around here is utterly ridden with stormy weather, so be on the lookout for ways to use it to screen your approach."
	"The UN Atlantic Fleet is not to be trifled with. I estimate at least one Carrier, four battleships, between four to eight cruisers, at least 5 Destroyer flotillas and I wouldn't be surprised if submarines were to be found nearby too. Our greatest advantage is that the enemy fleet starts off dispersed somewhat. Fast movement will ensure that they overshoot your fleet."
	"We're outgunned in a huge way. Any forces we send will be delayed and arrive as reinforcements. I'd recommend sending the Invincible here and wed it to Misato's control when it arrives. We might also want to commit RAF Air Command under Wellesley, but do note: if we do that, we'll have no air forces in Italy at all. Our greatest strength here is Misato, who shines in making her forces fight on despite massive damage. Use her abilities to commit the impossible and behead the UN fleet before its trap shuts."
	"Oh, this plan? It must be Marshal Magistrate Mgcuka. Mgcuka is a skilled planner and accomplished tactician, but if he has one problem it's that his tactics tend to be stiff and react poorly to outcomes he hasn't foreseen. Chances are he'll predict Misato to retreat right into his trap."
	"Give me your ugliest, strongest Evangelions. 01? Sounds good. If Yanmei's okay with letting her hubby spend lots of time around me unsupervised, then him and his big ugly too. If you're willing to give me a third, make it an AT Tactician. Go, for example. Superheavy-wise? Give me Fox to start with and bring Wolf in as reinforcements."